Poultry shackle



March 30, 1948.

G. W. JOHNSON POULTRY sHAcKLE Filed July 29, 1944 A. l Il. filati'.-

BY /g/M Patented Mar. 3o, 194s 2,438,608

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POULTRY SHACKLE Gordon W. Johnson, Overland Park, Kans., as-

signor to Gordon Johnson Company, Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application July 29, 1944, Serial No. 547,214

3 Claims. (Cl. 17--44.1) 1 2 This invention relates to improvements in birds legs therebetween. -The side walls I9 of poultry shackles and has particular reference to body member I are recessed at 20 to form depoultry shackles suitable for use on conveyor pressions to receive the fowls legs. Aleaf spring lines. 2| secured to hook I5 by means of screw 22 is The principal object of the present invention is 5 formed so as to be in spaced relation to the edge the provision of a poultry shackle having leg en- Wall 23 of the body member l0 with its free end gaging means which will rmly engage the birds offset at 24 to engage a series of ratchet teeth 25 legs when the bird is on the line and also when carried by said edge wall. The tension of spring detached from the line for special operations. 2| is so adjusted that it constantly urges the hook Another object is the provision of a poultry insert against the opposite edge wall of the body shackle which is so constructed as to serve as a member. Th-e ratchet teeth 25 may be integral handle for supporting the bird when off the line. with edge wall 23 or may be formed on a separate Other objects are simplicity and economy of bar which is securely attached thereto. A stop construction, ease and efficiency of operation, and 26 adjacent the end of body member Il) and disa shackle that may be quickly and easily removed l5 posed in the path of travel of the spring offset from the chain of the conveyor system. 24 serves to limit the outward movement of the With these objects in view as well as other obhook insert. jects which will appear during the course of the A release button 2'I slidably mounted in edge specication, reference will be had to the drawwall 23 is so positioned that it will be movable ing wherein: to engage the body of leaf spring 2| and move Fig. 1 is a, perspective view of the poultry the oiset portion thereof from engagement with shackle embodying this invention and disposed in the ratchet teeth to permit outward movement the operative position on a conveyor system. of the hook insert. This hook insert is constant- Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line II-II ly urged to the outer position by means of a coil of Fig. 1. 25 spring 28 which is attached at its one end to a nut Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational edge view of '29 secured to screw 22 and at its other end to the poultry shackle detached from the conveyor, a yoke 30 which in turn is anchored to the body with parts in section. member I0 by means of pin 3|. This spring Fig. 4 is a longtudinal sectional view taken on 28 is always unde'r tension, thus serving to urge line IV-IV of Fig. 3. 30 member I2 outwardly.

Fig. 5 is e. cross sectional view taken on line Referring to Fig. 4, it will be noted that the V-V of Fig. 3. hook insert at the right side is in the open posi- Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on line tion to receive the leg of the fowl. When the leg VI-VI of Fig. 3. has been inserted between the end of the body Throughout the several views like reference member IU and hook I4, the Operator Simply characters refer to similar parts and the numeral presses the hook insert inwardly against a foWls l IIJ designates a body member which is tubular in leg, not shown, until itis in the position shown form and of a size and shape suitable to serve at the left hand end of the body member. When as a handle or hand grip whereby the operator so positioned, the leaf spring 2|' will engage the may conveniently handle the bird when it is not ratchet teeth 25 as shown thus preventing an outon the conveyor line. ward movement of the hook insert. The leg may Opposite end portions of the tubular member be released by pressing the release pin 21 to disare provided with like leg gripping means which engage the offset portion of spring 2| from the are slidably adjustable to engage the legs of the ratchet 25. The spring 28 is always under tension bird and hold them in spread apart relation. and will contract to move the hook insert out- A slidably mounted hook insert I2 comprises wardly until the leaf spring 2| engages stop 26. a strip of metal and is rebent adjacent its op- It will be noted that each end of the shackle is posite ends to form end hooks I4 and I5. Hook provided with similar leg engaging means and I4 protrudes outwardly from said tubular memthat they are independently operable to engage ber and serves as one side of the bird leg gripping 0 or disengage the fowls legs. During the pickmeans. The hook I5 at the inner end portion ing operation it is sometimes found convenient of the strip serves as an anchor for an operating to remove the fowl from the traveling line and in spring 28 and for the latch spring 2|. Hooks |`4 such cases the operator grasps the body member are spaced outwardly from the respective ends of I0 for supporting the fowl. In such cases the body member III to permit the insertion of the operators hand will be positioned adjacent the the legs becoming disengaged.

'2| from engagement with ratchet teeth 25.V

When the fowls leg is to be released, itis necessary for the operator to press inwardly on a release pin and move it its full distance of travel. Each of the side walls of the body member It isV provided with an opening 42 which serve to re-l ceive the hook 44 of the twin hook member 45. This hook member 46 comprises like twin hooks 44 carried by a stem 48 and an eye 50 toreceive one end of a supporting chain 52 secured to the line chain 54 which in turn is supported by'a bracket 55 carrying a roller 58 operatively mounted for movement on a track 60. In order to prevent accidental engagement of hooks 44 with parts of the apparatus during theV operation, hinged guard members '52 lareA pivoted at 64 to cross bar B rigidly carried by stem 48. guards 62 overlap the ends of the hooks 44 so that as the conveyor is operated to drag the Vfowl through certain chutes during the dressing operation, tlie hooks 44 will be protected against engagement with any of the protruding parts. The normal position of the fowl on the shackle is shown in Fig. l and it is the purpose of this shackle not only to support Vthe bird on the con veyor but to serveas a handle by means of which thebird Vmay be handled without any danger o1" The type vot shackles now in general use is so constructed that whenv the weight of the bird is not exerted against the shackle, the shackle may fall from position and become disengaged. It will be noted that the body member l is substantially rectangular in cross section without any protruding parts, thus presenting a suitable hand grip for all practical purposes. Y

The double hooks 44 are provided for con-A venience of the operator. When the conveyor system is in normal operation only one of the hooks 44 Vof each pair is filled so that the operator always has available at least one empty hook on which to deposit the detached fowl that he hasY been working on. Should there be but one hook` 44, asis the present practice, at each stage of the conveyonthen it might be necessary for the operator to first remove a carcass from the hook before the other one Vcould be placedV thereon, thereby requiring the use of both handsV of the operator to make the change. y

Another feature of this shackle is the fact tha the working parts are substantially housed bythe body member ID and are adapted to be easily cleaned by forcing a stream of water through the body member.

What I claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent is: Y

1. Ay poultry shackle comprising an elongated These body member having recessed ends, a hook insert slidably mounted in each of the opposite end portions respectively of said body member with the hook portion thereof extending outwardly from the adjacent recessed end of said body member to receive a fowlsrleg therebetween, a stop to limit the outwardL movement of said hook insert, resilient means positioned to constantly urge said hook insert outwardly against said stop, a spring means to normally securesaid hook insert in the operative engaging position, and aY the outward movement of said hook insert, resilient means Vpositioned to constantly urge said.,

Y hook insert outwardly against said stop,v andre- Y open, a hook insert slidably'mounted in each oithe opposite end portions respectively of saidy silient means carried by said hook insertand adapted to engage ratchet teeth carried by said body member to hold said hook insert in a predetermined operative position against the urge of said resilient means and to urge rsaid hookginsevrt Y against the inner wall of'said tubular body mem/ ber. Y

3. A poultry shackle comprising an elongated tubular body member having its Vopposite Yends body member with the hook portion thereof eX- tending outwardly from the adjacent end of said body member, a plurality of longitudinally spaced., Y apart stops carried by said body memberadiacent Y its opposite ends, a iiat spring secured to eachv of said hook inserts te tension the respective hook inserts in said body member and to engage a selected one of said stops, resilient means to urge said Vhook inserts outwardly and said springs against certain of said steps, and means manually operated to release saidV iiat Vsprings fromsaid stops whereby to permit longitudinal adjustment of said hook members in said body memberand to x said hook inserts in certain predetermined positions.

f REFERENCES CITED Y The following references are of record in' the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATTrNrsYV f sonnen vv.y '.ioauson. g Y i 

